Camila Giorgi battled past Kaia Kanepi 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) in a marathon match to reach the second round at the Miami Open.
Giorgi earned an early break to open up a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but she did not convert three double break in the fourth game. Giorgi saved a break point in the seventh game to build up a 5-2 lead. Kanepi broke back in the ninth game to draw level and held serve to draw level to 5-5. Kanepi saved a break point in the 12th game to hold serve forcing the first set to the tie-break. Giorgi went down 2-3 but she won five of the next six points to clinch the first set 7-4.
Giorgi went up an early break in the first game of the second set and saved two break points to hold serve in the sixth game for 4-2. Kanepi broke back in the eighth game to draw level to draw level to 4-4. Giorgi saved a set point in the 12th game to send the second set to another tie-break. Kanepi won the final three points to take the tie-break 7-4.
Giorgi earned a double break to race out to a 5-0 lead. Kanepi pulled both break points and saved a second match point to draw level to 5-5. Giorgi earned two mini-breaks to clinch the tie-break 7-4.
Romania’s Irina Camelia Begu came back from 1-5 down in the second set and saved five set points to beat reigning US Open junior champion Alexandra Eala 6-2 7-5 in 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Begu went down an early break in the first set to trail 0-2, but she came back by winning six consecutive games to clinch the first set 6-2.
Eala went up an early break to take a 2-0 lead, but Begu broke straight back at love in the third game. Eala won three consecutive games with two breaks of serve to earn her first set point serving at 5-1, but Begu pulled one break back for 3-5 with a forehand winner into the corner. Begu converted her fifth break point in a eight-deuce ninth game for 4-5. The Romanian earned her third break and completed her come-back by winning her sixth consecutive game from 1-5 down to close out the second set 7-5.
Wang Xiyu edged past 15-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-0 7-5 in 1 hor and 51 minutes. Wang raced out to a 6-0 3-0 lead with four breaks of serve, but she held off a come-back from Fruhvirtova, who pulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3. Both players went on serve until the 12thgame, when Wang earned her decisive break on her first match point with a forehand winner to seal the second set 7-5.
This year’s Austin champion Marta Kostyuk beat Hobart finalist Martina Cocciaretto 6-3 6-2. Kostyuk earned her fourth break point to take a 3-1 lead and saved three break points in the seventh game to win the first set 6-3. Kostyuk broke twice in the third and seventh games to win the second set 6-2.
Mirjam Bjorklund came back from one set down to beat Jasmine Paolini 4-6 6-4 6-4. Paolini went up a 3-1 40-15 in the third set, but Kostyuk broke back in the fifth game. Bjorklund earned her second break and saved two break-back points to close out with a hold serve at deuce.
Anna Kalinskaya came back from a break down in the first set to beat Andorran 17-year-old player Victoria Jimenez 6-4 6-2 setting up a second round match against last week’s Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina.
